Deer cull halted because the wildlife bridge is ‘not finished’

Plans by Gelderland province to shoot 15 out of a herd of 25 red deer which live close to a new wildlife bridge have been put on ice because the bridge will not be completed before the end of the hunting season, Nos television said on Thursday.

There has been an outcry over the province’s plans to cull the deer after promising farmers to limit the numbers crossing the bridge to head off excessive damage to crops.
The bridge is currently open to small animals but closed to larger ones. It will now not be finished until February, around the time of the end of the hunting season, forcing the delay.
Nature groups say the delay will give breathing space to allow a proper solution to the problem to be worked out.